The First Night of Summer
by Melrose Stormhaven
Summary: Lime. Dark A.U. Heero x Relena. It was the first night of summer when it happened. “Very well, I’ll take up your proposition, but before that, I require a taste.” A taste? Of you.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing. Don't sue.

**Warning:** This is a **DARK A.U. HETEROSEXUAL LIME **set in a **CHURCH**. That's right. **A CHURCH**. So if such things offend you, **DON'T READ THE FIC**. Supposed to be for the _Church of Lemons_ challenge. Please forgive the delay. I've been having…personal troubles, not to mention black outs. And I somehow forgot that I was due last March 28. The truck hit me.

**Rose: **And the cattle prod soon will.  
**Melrose:** OO

**Author's notes:** Please don't kill me. And please note that this is a work of fiction. I'm not promoting black magic, witchcraft, premarital sex or anti-church stuff. This does not reflect any of my religious beliefs. Flames will burn in hell.

**Pairings: **3 x R! **KIDDING!** Heero x Relena. What else?

**Rose:** And announcing Sinner 2007…  
**Melrose: **runs

_He laughed at her, his voice as rich and dark as sin itself. "There are easier ways to die. This is not one of them." _

**The First Night of Summer**

The first night of summer had just begun.

The air in the church was crisp and cold, smelling of old wood and stone, with the smoky scent of now-dead candles and the faintest salty hint of blood lingering still.

Relena stood on top of the steps, just a few feet before the altar. As the brilliant rays of the full moon shone through the rose window on the ceiling high above her, she bathed in the muted glows of reds, blues, yellows, and greens. Beyond her circle of colors, the shadows reigned, covering the church in darkness.

The inverted pentagram on the marble floors has been cast with salt and her blood, the black candles on the six points have been lit, and the Latin incantations have been spoken. Now all she needed to do was wait. She drew her coat closer to her naked body, shivering. The book said nothing of when the daemon would appear, or what form it would take when it finally made its appearance. Relena wasn't even sure a daemon would appear at all. For all she knew, all she had done here was nothing but foolishness.

She shivered. Oh, how she wished the daemon would come quickly. It was really cold in the church, even in summer, and she could not help but feel like every statue within it was looking down on her, damning her for her foul deed. Even the crucified Christ, face upturned to the heavens, seemed like He was looking down at her, judging her.

She lifted her chin, eyes bright with defiance as she stared at the statue of Christ. _Let Him judge me. I called on Him, I begged Him, but He never heard my call. He chose to look away when I needed Him the most. If He can forget me, then so can I. _

And how she had begged. _Did You laugh when I threw myself on the floor before You, my eyes swollen with tears? Did You turn deaf to the fervent prayers I whispered? The priests always said You were merciful and just, but when I asked for Your mercy, for justice, You didn't do anything. _

"How could you take them away?" she whispered to the shadows, hands clenching into tight fists, nails cutting deep into her palms. "My family never did You anything wrong. Why did You let them die? You said You would protect the meek, but You let them _die_." 

Even after more than two years, the memories were still fresh in her mind, sharp and bittersweet, a dagger twisting into her heart. Her family had been smiling when she left them for her daily studies. She remembered her mother and father, fingers entwined as they waved good-bye to her. Her older brother had nodded at her as she dashed down the stairs, a rare smile on his lips.

But when she came home, she found that her world had been ripped apart.

_Blood. On the walls, the furniture, and the floors–everywhere she looked, it seemed like someone carelessly painted their house in every shade of red. Relena does not remember, but her neighbors later told her that she had given a bloodcurdling scream, and that when they found her, she was covered in blood as well, clutching her mother's rigid body to her chest._

She had gone to the authorities and demanded for justice. She labored for a year, but all she got were pitying looks, empty promises, and evasive answers. Few were willing to help her, and those who did eventually ended up missing, dead or frightened out of their minds.

A few months after her family's death, friends jokingly suggested that she could sell her soul to the devil and ask it to avenge her family's death. Relena didn't think much about it, but as the hope for earthly justice dwindled with each passing month, she found herself thinking more and more about it, until finally, at her family's first death anniversary, she decided she would give it a try. It was an absurd, dangerous idea, but she was desperate, and she had nothing left to lose.

Procuring the materials and the spells needed took her almost a year. After all, a daemon-summoning spell wasn't something you'll find at your average New-Age Wiccan spell book or store, and they didn't come cheap. Then she had to wait a few more months for a favorable moon for the summoning ritual.

A sudden stir in the air made Relena lift her head sharply, breaking through her thoughts. She glanced around, but saw nothing unusual. All the doors and windows had been locked up tight, she was sure. Her fingers tightened their grip on the coat, finding scant comfort in its warmth.

The church was supposed to be empty. The priest and the caretaker lived in their own houses, several meters away from the church. Relena made sure they were sound asleep before she performed the ritual, and she was quite sure no one saw her sneak into the church. She didn't tell anyone about her plans, not even her closest of friends.

_Calm down, Relena,_ she chided herself. _There's no one here but you and your–_

The gust of hot, almost scalding air swept past her, made her coat and hair flare out, whipping at her viciously. Gasping in surprise and fear, she crouched slightly and closed her eyes, biting her lip as the harsh wind burned into her skin.

After a moment, it subsided, and when Relena opened her eyes, she gave out a little cry, and took a step back, almost stumbling against the altar.  
Candles, hundreds of them, lighted the whole church. All of them floating on thin air, their flames steady and bright. Relena felt every hair in her body stand up as a shiver raced up her spine.

"So you are the one who dared summon me."

The voice was masculine, lacking of emotion or tone. Holding her breath, she shifted her wide-eyed gaze to where it came from.

He stood in front of her, amidst the darkness, looking every inch a human. He was every maiden's fantasy–tall, dark, and handsome, with eyes the color of midnight. Relena felt herself blush to the roots of her hair when she noted he wore no clothes save for the shifting shadows that barely hid his more obvious parts. For some absurd reason, Relena found herself looking for horns or a forked tail, but she saw none.

_Is this what a daemon truly looks like? He does not look frightening at all, except his eyes_. His eyes resembled a human's, not the reptilian eyes she expected, but they were just as cold and penetrating, like he could see how sinful and ugly she truly were deep inside.

Underneath her chest, she could feel her heart beat faster. She had done it. She had successfully summoned a daemon. Triumph filled her, but reality quickly took its place. That was the easy part. Controlling one was something far more difficult.

As she struggled to regain her composure, something very important dawned on Relena. "How could you use your strength here?" she burst out. _He made the candles appear. He shouldn't be able to do that, not in a church. _Her stomach twisted into tight knots. "This is hallowed ground. The book said–"

"Your book lied." He looked at Relena, a contemptuous expression on his face as his eyes swept over her naked form. Her face reddened again at his temerity. In her shock, she had forgotten she was naked, too. "How little you humans know of us. Once we walked with the Creator himself. He favored us above all, until your kind came along." His eyes burned into her. "Why He loves such pathetic creatures like you, I can never understand. I should kill you for the audacity of summoning me." He laughed at her, his voice as rich and dark as sin itself. "There are easier ways to die. This is not one of them." 

He suddenly stalked forward. She almost took another step back, but managed to stop herself. I must not show him I'm afraid. Swallowing back her fear, she straightened up. "I summoned you for a reason. I have a proposition for you." 

"A proposition? Your kind is fond of making propositions with us. What do you want? Love? Power? Success? Wealth?" He stared intently at her when he said the last word, "Revenge?"

_Death. Revenge. Yes. I want. I want. I want._ "I want you to help me seek out those who killed my family. I want them dead, all of them. All of those who had a hand in killing my family." She took a deep breath. "In exchange, I shall give you my soul, but only after the deed is done, when all of them are dead."

"Your soul?" His voice lowered, his tone a shade darker than before. "Your soul is already mine from the moment you completed the ritual. It is only a question of when and how will I take it. Should I tear it slowly from your body? That way you can feel every pain I inflict upon you–"

"You're wrong!" she snapped back. "You can't fool me. My soul isn't yours yet. You need to fulfill the contract before you take it. My acquiescence is required for you to own my soul. You can't simply take it as you wish. And even if I have given it, that isn't enough. I can still change my mind."

She smiled at him, a mocking smile. "That was a gift He never gave you, the gift of free choice. The gift of repentance. He never gave you a soul as well. That's why your kind and you Master wants our souls so badly. You want something you can never have. You call us pathetic, but I say this–how dare the crow call the raven black?" 

A tense silence followed her words. Before Relena could react, the daemon reached out and took a lock of her hair, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. "You are…interesting." His eyes darkened as they narrowed into tiny slits. Relena held her breath. "Very well, I'll take up your proposition, but before that, I require a taste."

_He will accept! _Relena felt a brief jolt of exultation, but it was quickly replaced with a knot of fear at the queer look he gave her. "A taste? A taste of what?" She could feel him rubbing his fingers against the lock of her hair, the heat of his gaze scalding her.

"I require a taste," the daemon said slowly, eyes never leaving her, "of you."

**T.B.C**

**Author's note:** runs from readers

**Readers:** Where do you think you're going! Come back here and continue thiiiiiis!

**The very lemon continuation to this can be found in my profile page! You need to register to get in!**

**Relena: **If you're thinking, 'wtf, Relena would never seek revenge', but she did, once. The reason why I love Relena so much is that she's a dynamic character, and evolves throughout the GW series, from spoiled rich girl to world peace leader. I love to explore the Relena before the pacifist and the politician, it's so much fun. XD


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